


The Young King

by CinamonPizza



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Crying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Mmmm yes much of that in alot of varieties, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Yall I gotta fill up the tags but god am I bad at math
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-01-29 14:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12633450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinamonPizza/pseuds/CinamonPizza
Summary: When a deal is failed to be paid to the Devil, a child of the highest family on the now non-existant Inkwell Isle 4 is taken.From the ripe age of thriteen, this dices life is preparing to get alot more... intresting.





	1. Proluge

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo!! I've had this AU in the works now for a while now, and im finally getting the guts to write it! Hopefully I'll continue to write it to its very end, but for now all we have is h o p e.

   The rules of Inkwell Isle Four, known by outsiders as “The Die Isles”, were simple. Only those with dice heads could stay there as a permanent resident, and the more sides one's head had, the higher their authority, which was known as “Side Castes.” The place seemed almost flawless, say for its flawed government due to the Side Castes System, but there was another thing pulling it back from its true potential.

   The Isle was in debt to Satan's son, the Devil, after their leader sold their soul to allow their Island to prosper. It was already a big enough deal that their leader was dealing with Satan, but dealing with his hormonal son who had just opened up a casino just because he wanted some extra cash was even worse. 

   The day the deal was made, the town was given two options as to how they would repay their debt; Pay the full amount over the course of the year, or pay half of it over the course of the week. As foolish as the higher, more powerful D10’s and beyond were, being the only ones allowed to vote, they voted for the latter of the two options.

   All the Devil had to say when the votes were cast was one thing; “Fail to pay me off, and your leaders children will be mine.”

   And so, the rush to pay off the Devil began. First, it began with all the higher-ups parting with all the money they could, and it didn't cover an eighth of the cost of what the Devil wanted. Then the lower class was practically forced to hand over the majority of their money, which barely helped. By the halfway mark in the week, only a quarter of the profits needed was raised.

   The upper class quickly began buying out what property the lower class had, only to sell it to outsiders, to no avail.

   The week ended, and with only a third of the costs paid. Countless where homeless, even more bankrupt, weather it be from trying to pay off the Devil  or from the higher-ups taking money from the lower class, trying to keep their wealth.

   The highest family in power, a married couple of D20’s, despite the fact they had three children, were only willing to give away one; The one they saw as a disappointment, their thirteen year son. A six sided die, unlike his his younger siblings, two D20’s, just like their parents.

   The couple hid their two youngest and, for the first time, made their D6 look nice. They put him in a lilac waistcoat and a deep violet bowtie and pants. The suit was in fairly good condition, save for a tear in the bowtie and the waistcoat sporting a few stains.

   The Devil had soon arrived, inviting himself in, where he was greeted in the foyer by the Dice family and a lone child. The Devil snorted. “Since when do you snobby D20s keep a six-side?” 

   “He’s our only son, Sir.”

   “Well then… you sure it's your only one?”

   “Sir, we know our family better than you do, now take him and go.” The young boy was pushed closer to the Devil, quivering.

   The Devil crouched down, looking the boy in the eyes. “Say, kid, what's your name?”

   He looked at him, wide eyed. “Reyes… Reyes Alea.” He extended his hand to the beast, though is was quickly lowered with a swift motion of the Devil's hand.

   “I ain't takin’ your soul in front of your parents, kid. I can be an asshole, but at least I'm not a rich fuckin snob who only gives up one kid because he's lower.” The Devil shot his eyes at the parents, who remained firm in their stance.

   The Devil got up, and beckoned his servants inside. “Ribbey, Croaks, cuff the kid and get him onto the Phantom Express. If T-Bone tries to give you shit, don't worry, I'll be with you two when you head out.”

   Reyes didn't know how to react. He tried to retreat to his parents, but they remained statue like, unwilling to help. The taller of the two grabbed him, and the shorter one got him into some heavy cuffs, with a chain shorter than his head, and a longer chain in the middle of the small one.

   Reyes kicked, screamed, bit, did anything he could to get out of the frogs grip, but to no avail. They turned around and began walking towards the door, the Devil leading the way. He looked back at his parents, crying, looking back at them, hoping they would come to his aid.

   They stood there, their only visible emotion being numbness with a slight hint of joy.

   The door closed behind the four of them, and at this point all Reyes felt motivated to do was cry. He didn't even show emotion when one of his favorite childhood fairy tales- the Phantom Express- was real. He let himself be taken onto the train of the dead, where he was finally let go, before the Devil quickly grabbed the attached longer chain and began yelling at the taller frog.

   As the Express began to move, all Reyes wanted to do was nap, and he managed to do just that.

   The Devil looked at Ribby and Croaks, once he realized the kid fell asleep. “You two, when we get back to the Casino, find Cala and Hilda, and tell them to destroy that prissy isle, and tell ‘em to make sure there are no survivors. I knew those assholes had other children, and now they’ll pay.”


	2. Scratches and Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil finally suncumbs to stress and Reyes learns the meaning of his name.

   The Devil never expected owning a business to be this hard. He got into running the Casino, expecting it to be a breeze while also managing to collect money and souls. After losing four of his best employees, however, nothing but stress had enveloped him.

   It didn't help that he had the kid to take care of now as well.

   The dice was given a rather nice bedroom, close to the Devil's own quarters and his office. The room was littered with security cameras, however, and from the very beginning, it was established that wherever the Devil, he was as well, and that, unless he wanted to sign off his soul, he should listen to him.

   While Reyes stood at the Devil's side at his desk, he began thinking, trying to keep himself on his legs a while longer and keep himself entertained. A month has passed since he was taken. Two weeks ago he found out about his home isles fate, before the two that had taken him and the two that had destroyed the place had left the Casino, probably now in hiding. The cuffs he was put in haven't been taken off at all, only when he bathed to prevent them from rusting.

   “Kid!”

   Reyes jumped in surprise as the Devils voice managed to pierce through his thoughts. “Yes, Boss?”

   “Go over there ‘n get that paperwork. Gotta work out payroll, y’know.”

   To be fair, with his hands still so closely bound, and the Devils leash, as he liked to call it, always presented a threat of tripping, this task would be harder than it needed to be. He simply complied, however, walking over to the other side of the room and grabbing the pile that was almost half his height. Jeez, how many employees does this man have, he thought.

   As he walked backed, the inevitable eventually happened, and Reyes tripped, scattering the papers in every direction. This got the Devils attention, much to his dismay.

   “Boss, you… you keep working, I’ll handle this.” The boy quickly began collecting the.papers and folders, stuffing what he could back into them.

   The Devil got up, and Reyes tried his best not to react. He could hear him step on the chain, followed by a grunt, presumably to bend down. The only papers left for the die where just a few feet away…

   As the chain moved, a blood chilling scream followed. Shocked, Reyes looked behind him to find the Devil clenching one of his toes in pain, as a black ooze that that presumably blood leaked from it. Just in front of him was one of his nails, getting ‘blood’ on one of the folders. The Devil looked Reyes in the eyes, and he already knew what was coming, despite the fact the Devil never earned him of his nail getting caught in the chains.

   “You little,” and then the Devil lunged at the boy before pinning him, leaving scratches and deep holes in his arms. “Didn't you see I got myself caught in your stupid chain?! I’d strangle you right now if I could, boy!”

   “S-Sir, you didn't… you didn't tell me!”

   Claws quickly met the side of the dies face, leaving deep gashes in their presence. He screamed in pain.

   The Devil lifted himself off the ground, one of his hands holding the boy by the collar in one hand and the other brandishing it's claws. “Don't you dare back talk me, boy. Remember who your boss is, and also remember that I could make your life a living Hell whenever I want,” he snarled.

   Reyes knew what was coming to him next, but before it could happen, two figures burst into the room. One he could definitely recognize as Mr. Wheezy, the Devil's secretary. The shorter one with the purple hair he couldn't recognize. The Devil dropped him, and he crumbled to the floor, coughing. The short one approached him, taking a look at his wounds, meanwhile Mr. Wheezy was trying to usher the Devil back to his desk

   “Can you stand?”

   “I think, Mr…”

   “Kahl. Just call me Dr. Kahl, though.”

   The boy got up, as Dr. Kahl ushered him to his room, a small robot holding a first aid kit following them as soon as they left the Devil's office.

   The Devil sat impatiently at his desk. “Why’da come in here with Kahl, Wheezy?”

   “Because this is the fourth time something like this has happened, from what we know. He makes a simple mistake, and you try and kill him!”

   “I did not, jackass!”

   Mr. Wheezy sighed. “You do realize that, more likely than not, he’s gonna have to be hospitalized for a couple of days to allow those marks you gave him to heal.”

   “So?”

   “It means that, alongside losing a chunk of profit to pay for the hospital bills, if he does get hospitalized, you won't be able to go with him.”

   “Who the hell said that?”

   “Us.”

   The Devil shot up from his desk, looking him in the eyes. “You shit heads don't tell me what to do! If he does need to go, I'll be coming with him, whether you like it or not.”

   The cigar sighed. “Sir, for as long as you’ve had that kid, all he’s tried to do is be your definition of perfect, and he knows that if he doesn't live up to that standard, nothing but pain will come to him.”

   “So?”

   “So, that means you should treat him like a living, breathing being, rather than a punching bag. If you want him to gain your trust, you need to do so now, when his mind's still malleable. You're gonna drive him insane one day if you keep this up, or even worse, drive him to take his own life.”

   The Devil was preparing to rebuttal the statement, but Mr. Wheezy interjected. “Before you say some bullshit like ‘just another soul for me’ or whatever, just remember that that soul lost lost- took- its life because of you.”

   Dr. Kahl walked into the office. “Sir, did Reyes hurt you during your… encounter?”

   “The brat ripped one of my toenails out, but that's about it.” He pointed to the area where his half bloody nail still lay.

   “May I look at it, sir?”

   “It’ll be fine, trust me.”

   “Okay, just try and keep your weight off that foot for awhile.” The Devil simply grunted.

    “How does the kid look?”

   “I'll admit, you got him good,” he reluctantly said, “though luckily my medicinal robot managed to do the trick. He won't need hospitalization, though, please, let him rest. I'm not sure how much heavy lifting he’ll be able to do for you over the coming weeks.”

   “Is there the possibility I could,” he sighed “could I see ‘im? I got a few words for him.”

   “You may, though I'll be taking the my latest creation through their first test run, and I'd be more than willing to tear you in half of you try and hurt him.” Dr. Kahl winked at Mr. Wheezy, signaling him to keep an eye out.

   The Devil headed towards the door, and before he stepped out, he looked back at the two, who were conversing at this point. “I’d like to see you try, Kahl.” Before he could respond, he exited.

   The kids door was right across the hall from the Devil's office. He hesitated, before finally opening the door and stepped in.

   Reyes was thankful he was getting a chance to rest. Sure, his arms and head where tender from the stitches he received, but wow Dr. Kahls little bot would work wonders, getting every cleaned, stitched, and bandaged within a couple of minutes. It hurt, but it was nice.

   Kahl had left his room, turning the light off, the only light allowed to enter the room being from the window close to his bed. He told him to try and sleep off the initial pain, and that was all he could wish for.

   Before Reyes dozed off, his door opened. He already knew who it was from the distinct sound the Devil's nails made when they hit hardwood. He panicked, should he pretend to sleep or not be there at all?

   Something must have ticked the Devil into knowing he was there, because he soon spoke. “Kid, I know you’re in here.”

   The Devil began approaching the dices bed, before sitting on it. The bed was, thankfully, big enough to where both could be on it and have a comfortable amount of space between them.

   “What do want?”

   “Look, kid, I came in here to tell ya that… that well, I kinda regret what I did back there to you. Not just because it means you won't be able to do too much for me in the comin’ weeks, but because I… I want you to know I can be trusted.”

“You're the Devil, how can you be trusted?” He knew we was going to get backlash for what he just said, and he was already ready.

   All he got was a sigh. “Kid, do you know what your name means?”

   Reyes sat up and leaned against his bedframe. “Quit try’na change the topic.”

   “Im serious, I think I got somethin’ for you. Now, do you know what your name means?”

   He grunted. “I don't, my parents don't, nobody really knows. I think they may have just chosen some random words and used those. God I… they didn't even let me have their last name, they just said my last name was ‘Alea.’”

   The Devil beckoned Reyes to looked at him, which he reluctantly did. The Devil closed his eyes, and began saying something in a different language, which sounded like garbled, demonic nonsense.

   Suddenly, the Devil grabbed his shoulders, and opened his eyes, revealing them to be a pure, almost glowing white. He looked him in the eyes before speaking, this time in a tongue he could understand. “Reyes Alea, speak your name.”

   “K… wait, no, Ki… Ki… dangit!” 

   The Devil simply looked on, waiting.

   “Okay, maybe my last name. D… D….” The boy yelled in frustration.

   “I keep on trying to say my name for you, but all that wants to come out is something diffrent! No matter how much I think my name, all that comes out is Ki...”

   Then, realization hit the boy like a truck. “King Dice… King Dice! Boss, thats what my name means! Its King Dice.”

   The Devil looked at him, his eyes having gone back to their normal, yellow color. “That's the power of magic, kid. Now can we make up.”

   The King hugged the Devil, getting a jolt of surprise in return. His joy had managed to surpass any other emotion, to the point where he was crying. “Look at my parents now, thinking they named me some nonsense. Jokes on them, I'm a king! The King of Dice!”

   “King Dice…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For thoes curious, 'Reyes' means King in Spanish and 'Alea' means Dice in Latin, if you couldn't guess it.


	3. The Casino Floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Dice gets to man the Casino floor for his birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty dialogue heavy, but overall I had a blast writing it, so I hope you enjoy it! Theres also a head canon in here Im not sure everyone will agree with, but oops gotta make the plot.

“So, remind me what this… birthday, tradition is you mortals have again?”

“Basically, when the day comes when we’re born, we tend to celebrate with food and gifts. I’m assumin’ you never celebrated it?”

“When you're immortal, you eventually lose track of your ‘birthday,’ so no, I haven't. This form, however, I can still remember the age of somehow.”

“How old are you, then?”

“Screw you.”

“Whatever you say, boss!”

Seeing as every other person working for the Devil was mortal, the King was kind of surprised he didn’t know what a birthday is. At least, from the eyes of a thirteen, no, fourteen year old. Then again, everyone who worked for the Devil had already grown out of celebrating it, and to be fair, he was preparing to do so as well.

“So, Boss, did you happen to… to get me anything for today?”

“I let you know what your name meant, ain’t that good enough for ya?”

“That was three months ago, boss! Surely you got something else!”

The Devil though to himself for a second. God, he wasn’t aware of this thing mortals did until only a day or two ago, let alone the fact he was supposed to get the kid something. He wouldn’t even have time to try and go out and find something for him, he was supposed to be on the Casino floor in a few hours, and it’d be so late the kid would already be asleep more often than not…

“ _ Wait a second…” _ , he thought. He looked over at the King, who was still standing by his desk.

“Hey kid, what if I let you man the floor tonight?”

“Yeah but wouldn’t you just be hovering over me the entire time like every other time.”

“Here's the catch; I'm not gonna be there! I think you’ve been out there with me long enough to where I can trust you to do it. How does that sound?”

King Dices eyes lit up, a large smile joining it. “Really?!”

“Yeah, kid, really. I’ll even tell Mr. Wheezy to leave ya’ alone unless you ask for ‘im.”

Arms quickly wrapped around the Devil. “Thank you, boss! I won’t let you down!”

 

Soon enough, the time for King Dices floor time came. He was already familiar with the Casino layout, thankfully. To some extent, he was also familiar with some of the regular patrons.

“So, yah need help kid?” It was Mr. Wheezy.

“No, no, I’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say. I believe Phear needs help by the poker tables if you're looking for a place to start.”

“Alright.” The King began making his way to the tables, passing by the slot machines and roulette area. All he tried to do was keep an eye out for cheaters, occasionally having to remind someone to keep their hands above the table or pull a hidden ace off of someone.

To be fair, the majority of the night was just him helping where he could, giving lesser staff things to do, just mundane tasks the Devil would normally have him carry out if he was here. That's what made this time so special to him, though; The Devil wasn’t there. He had the freedom to do what he felt was best for the Casino, rather than having to listen to the Devil's command and doing things he didn't want to do. He even felt free enough to… too…

“Dice, get yer ass over here!”

King Dice had been completely oblivious of what was going on. He began making his way towards the call. “What do you need, Wheezy?”

“Help breaking’ up these two before the destroy the place!”

“I'm sorry, what? How the hell ca-,” and then he saw it. Two large figures, nearly double Mr. Weezy's size, most likely from magic, fighting. One he managed to recognize as Pirouletta, a regular at the Roulette tables, surprisingly, especially seeing as she was practically a sentient roulette machine. The other one, a large, blue blob, he couldn’t recognize by name.

King Dice was already by Mr. Weezy's side. “Who- Why are they fighting?!”

“I have no clue, kid. I guess-,” Mr. Wheezy was cut off when Pirouletta’s leg his him in the head.

“Wheezy!” The King got to his knees, and looked at him. Unconscious.  _ Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. _

He didn’t know what to do. God, anyone, anywhere in the casino could watch what was going on. None of the machines had been damaged , thankfully, but he knew that wasn't going to last long. His heart was pounding, hands shaking to go along with it. He felt a bit tingly, getting up and trying his best to back away. He didn't want to get the Devil involved, god knows what’d happen to them if he did.

What happened next was just a blur to the young boy. To be fair, where he came from, magic was seen as taboo, and that mindset hadn't quite left him yet.

The King held his hands up, as if though he was holding an object within them. He allowed the magic he had been practicing for so long to truly show through for the first time in public, and yet he unconsciously made himself completely unaware that he was in public, that he was just in his room in the few places where cameras couldn’t see him or his antics.

He could feel Piroulettas and the blue blobs weight in his hands, as he lifted them off the ground with ease with a levitation spell. He could feel their eyes boring into him with shock, but all his mind focused on was keeping the two away from each other and getting them out. He began heading towards the Casinos door, walking as if though he was in a balancing act, trying not to lose his grip on the two patreons.

As he approached the door, two creatures quickly opened the double-door for him, not wanting to disturb the King's magic. The King stepped outside, before practically tossing the two out and releasing the spell. 

“I suggest you two don’t come back for awhile.”

Pirouletta quickly backed off, but the blob was ready to bring pain to the King. “Dammit, Goopy, you felt how powerful that kids magic was. He’ll kill you if you mess with him!”

Goopy sighed and began leaving the hellish place the Casino stayed, flipping off King Dice before fully making his leave. He saw to it from the steps that they left Inkwell Hell.

King Dice sighed, and turned around to go back to his duties. What time was it now, 2AM? He turned around to re-enter the Casino, but stopped in his tracks as he was met with eyes boring into him. The live music had stopped. Everyone was staring at him. It didn’t take him too long to realize what he had done, almost completely unconsciously at that.

He stepped back, hands close to is chest and his eyes wide. What were they thinking about him. He turned around and ran to the large dice outside the casino, hiding by one of them. In a hushed voice, he began speaking to himself. “What were you thinking, KD? Magic, in public?! What's wrong with you.”

He slid down the side of the dice, shaking. God, what was everyone gonna think of him now? He was only practicing magic for self defense, mainly during his days at his old home, where he had to worry about angry parents taking anger out on him because he was lesser. The employees, the patreons, everyone, would probably see him as lesser now, even if he was with the Devil himself.

“Oi, kid!” Shit.

“Yes boss.”

“Who made ya cry?”

God, he didn't even realize he was practically sobbing until now. “It’s nothi… nothin’ boss. Just… two patreons got into a fight, got hit was all.”

The Devil sighed. “Dont worry, your shift’s over anyways. Heard Mr. Wheezy got knocked out from that same fight, but hopefully he’ll be able to tell me how ya’ did when he wakes up.”

The King sighed in relief.  _ Good, at least he doesn't know about what truly went down.  _ Suddenly, he could feel himself being lifted up off the ground by furry arms.

“Kid, you’re clearly shaken up. Let’s get ya to bed.”

The Dice calmly accepted the offer of being carried to his room. He knew he’d be safe from prying eyes there.

What he wasn’t aware of, however, was how fast news spread across patrons and employees.

 

The news of King Dices magical abilities spread like wildfire, across both patrons and the employees there to witness it all. Inevitably, the news got to the Devil, all while the King was still asleep.

“What do you mean the kid used  _ magic _ ?!”

“I’s true, boss! I witnessed it!”

“Chips, you sure you didn’t get too much to drink.”

“Boss, I was sober all last night, I swear! My daughter could tell ya’ll ‘bout it, she experience it first-hand!”

“And why do you want Pirouletta involved in this ‘story’ you have?”

“Because she got into the fight with Goopy le Grande last night, the one your boy had to break up, with magic probably as powerful as yours!”  
“Impossible, the size those two made themselves to duke it out, and even if the kid did know magic, he would have been able to lift it up without crumbling!”

“Just… believe me, boss.”

The Devil finally gave in, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If it makes you happy, when he wakes up, I’ll ask him about this magic you're claiming he used to fuckin’... lift two massive forms out of the Casino.” The Devil quickly got close to Chips, staring him right in the eye. “If you’re lyin’ to me, I’ll be sure to have your ass sent to Hell!”

 

King Dice was expecting to wake up later than usual, and with a pounding headache after last nights events. What he wasn’t expecting was for the Devil to be sitting on the other side of his bed. He sighed. “What’dya want, boss?”

“Did you use magic to break up that fight last night?”

The King froze. How did he find out? “Why are you asking that?”

“Because literally everyone keeps on tellin’ me you used it.”

KIng Dice sat up. Shakey from both what he was about to say and his headache. “I… I did. I used magic.” He buried his head in hands. :My head hurts Boss… I need to rest after last night.”

“Prove it.”

The King looked over. “W-What?”

“I wanna know, are ya’ lyin to me? If you aren’t, prove to me that you can use magic. Let see…” The Devil looked around, before locking his eyes on on a lamp on the other side of the room. “Get that lamp from over there to your nightstand.” The Devil's eyes went white, most likely to try and sense how powerful the Dices magic was.

He knew he had to do it, despite how weak he felt. He focused himself, and within a few seconds, the lamp has made its way from its original location to his nightstand. The King let go, before coughing up a small bit of bile. “I did it.”

A grin appeared on the Devil's face, as his eyes returned to normal. “Its normal for ya’ eyes to change in some way when you use magic. Yours didn’t.” The Devil made his way towards the door, before looking at the shaking boy, who seemed to be barely holding himself up. “When ya’ get your strength back, you can resume work. For now, rest.” The Devil closed the door behind him before casting a spell that would put the kid to sleep.

“Holy shit he’s powerful.”


	4. Am I Wrong?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil gives emotional support (for once).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a two week break we're back in action! I hope to get more chapters out on this thing in the coming weeks, its just the writing part thats getting me bc I dont know how to word more often than not. Its a wee bit short but I hope to get longer, more progressive chapters out in the future. Anyways, enjoy!~

It took King Dice almost a full week to fully recover from his birthdays events. The Devil got an intern, Pirouletta, to perform the tasks the King would normally perform for him. The Devil tried to give him company whenever he could, but the fact that the King was practically bed bound for a few days and the Devil had to continue to run his business meant that he was alone more often than not.

The King, finally having the strength to resume his work, had got himself dressed in one of the suits the Devil had made for him, which was very similar to his old one, except this one had a nice coat to go with it. He approached the door to the Devils office and knocked.

“Come in!” He probably already knew who it was, anyways.

King Dice opened the door and stepped in. “Boss, just so you know, I'm ready to resume work.”

It didn't take him too long to notice the familiar figure standing by the Devils side. The two of them made eye contact, and both of their expressions emitted worry and fear.

“So, you're the one who took my place in my absence, Pirouletta?”

She hesitated. “Yes, sir.”

“Okay, well I'm just gonna… take my leave then. Let you… get your stuff… yeah.” He stepped out of the office and back into his room.

Pirouletta sighed. “I think you should go talk to him.”

The Devil got up from his desk. “Yeah, no shit. I mean, you and that other… thing, where the ones that got him bed bound.”

“Sir, we all know why he walked out.”

The Devil snorted and began approaching the door. “He’s still sensitive about the topic, y’know. From what I know, the place he came from wasn't too keen on his status- anyone, really, learnin’ magic.” He left the office, and soon found his way to the Kings room, where he found him pacing and mumbling under his breath.

“Kid… why'd ya leave the office so abruptly?”

He shot his arms up in the air. “You know why, Boss! She and her little pal are the entire reason you… everyone who come here knows about it!”

The Devil ushered him towards his bed. “Sit down.”

The King obliged. “Now, kid, you do realize that I use magic all the time. There really isn't too much to be uncomfortable about.”

“But you're the… the... “ he groaned, “you know who you are! It's almost expected for you to use magic, to keep your ‘scary’ and ‘big bad’ persona up!”

The Devil sighed. “Kid, while those things are true, also realize I have a near infinite pool of mana to draw from; how am I expected to not take advantage of that! Wouldn’t you take advantage of that?”

He hesitated. “It’s just that… you can do so much cool stuff with it! All I can do is move things around and maybe make some things larger or smaller, but that's about it.”

“Kid, you're not letting yourself see your true potential. You could do way more than that if you learned how. Maybe if ya’ let me teach ya-”

“Boss, just that simple levitation spell had me bed bound, nearly dead probably. How am I supposed to learn all the cool things you can do if that simple spell nearly kills me!”

“Kid, realize that the not one, but two things you lifted weighed more than what I’m capable of lifting d.unassisted, and of someone your age and expertise, it's amazing you didn’t die from overuse. That says something, y’know. Your abilities- you, are meant for greatness. You just gotta embrace them, rather than pretend they don't exist.”

“I can see your point in that, Boss, but how many other creatures use magic like you're saying I'm ‘supposedly’ capable of!”

“Alot, actually. It's just that their like you; they fear what’ll happen if they use it in public. You’re still young, though. You could probably break that mindset if you tried.”

King Dice tried to speak, but was quickly cut off. “I’ll begin teachin’ ya what I know tomorrow. For now, you get the day off, and tomorrow Pirouletta will be gone.”

 

For a few days, the King had been learning from the Devil magic. Everything from simple exercises to some pretty cool stuff, alongside some theory and all that, all the while he was also on the job at his side.

It was 7AM, and he was up. Daily routine. Shower, dress, do make- holy shit is that peach fuzz?

It was rare for his particular race of object head to grow hair anywhere except for eyebrows, really. It had long thought to have been bred out simply to the fact it was seen as unattractive. And yet here he was, marveling at the light, yet noticeable hair that had sprouted above his upper lip seemingly overnight.

“There's another reason for people to look down on me…”

Of course, he thought he wouldn't have to worry about shaving, so naturally, no razors. “Well… shit. I'll live, I guess.” He continued with his routine, getting dressed getting that sweet makeup on, all the good stuff.

He went through the day normally. Turns out his newest abnormality was only noticeable to him because wow he was good at noticing everything bad about him. The first few days with this newfound problem went like this, and yet he knew he wouldn't last long. He could only do so much to keep it back when scissors and tweezers weren’t readily available, simply because he never expected to have to deal with this problem.

A week after his discovery, the Devil finally noticed.

Just a normal day, where the King would stand by his desk, awaiting the next task, whether it be “grab those papers” or “go break up that fight on the floor.” Nothing too exciting.

“Hey, kid…”

“Yes, boss?”

“Since when did’ya start growin’ a mustache?”

The King, shocked, quickly covered his mouth, trying to be a discreet as possible. “What do you by that, boss?”

The Devil chuckled. “Put your hand down, kid. I’ve already seen it. Say, where did you learn a spell that cou-”

“Its natural, boss. No magic.”

This time, it was the Devil who was suprised. “I thought your race had eradicated that shit decades ago!”

“It still happens, though it’s rare. But hey, I got another reason to be looked down on, so thats great I guess.”

The Devil turned towards the King. “Don’t badmouth yourself like that, that hair ya’ got gives you another reason to stand out is all. You’re a 6-sider working for one of the most powerful creatures on these isles, something not even those 20-sided fuckers could even dream about because they're too stuck up for their own good, and you got some badass facial hair to top it off.”

“It's just… it looks bad right now, and it-

“Do ya think it looks bad because it isn’t styled the way you want it or is it because it's on you?”

The King began to speak, but then paused. “Both, I guess. Can we drop the topic, please.”

"Fine. Just know that your so called abnormality only makes you stand out further from your crowd.”

Just like that it was over, but that didn't stop Dice from thinking about the subject. He always did try and convince Mr. Wheezy to keep his hair up, maybe let it grow out and gel it if he wanted it to have a more so professional look.

_ Maybe that's what I’ll do _ , he thought.


End file.
